, Mr
Gwynne," continued Emma, as she held out a hand to each.

"We had some difficulty in persuading the Colonel to let us come,"
observed Captain Sinclair to Mary; "but as we have heard nothing further
about the Indians, he consented."

"You have nothing more to fear from the Indians this winter, Captain,
and you may tell the Colonel so from me," said Malachi. "I happened to
be on their hunting ground yesterday, and they have broken up and gone
westward, that is, Angry Snake and his party have; I followed their
track over the snow for a few miles just to make sure; they have taken
everything with them, but somehow or other I could not find out that the
squaw was with them--and they had one in their party. They carried
their own packs of fur, that I'll swear to, and they had been thrown
down several times; which would not have been the case, if they had not
been carried by men; for you see, the Injun is very impatient under a
load, which a squaw will carry the whole day without complaining. Now
that party is gone, there is no other about here within fifty miles,
I'll be bound for."

"I'm very glad to hear you say so," replied Captain Sinclair.

"Then, perhaps, this poor woman whom you succoured, Alfred, is the squaw
belonging to the party," observed Mr Campbell. Mr Campbell then
related to Malachi Bone what had occurred on the day before; how the
hunting party had brought home the woman, whom he pointed to in the
corner where she had remained unnoticed by the visitors.

Malachi and the Strawberry went up to her; the Strawberry spoke to her
in the Indian tongue in a low voice, and the woman replied in the same,
while Malachi stood over them and listened.

"It's just as you thought, sir; she belongs to the Angry Snake, and she
says that he has gone with his party to the westward, as the beavers
were very scarce down here; I could have told him that. She confirms my
statement, that all the Indians are gone, but are to meet at the same
place in the spring, to hold a council."

"Is she of the same tribe as the Strawberry?" inquired Henry.

"That's as may be," replied Malachi; "I hardly know which tribe the
Strawberry belongs to."

"But they speak the same language."

"Yes; but the Strawberry learnt the tongue from me," replied Malachi.

"From you," said Mrs Campbell; "how was that?"

"Why, ma'am, it's about thirteen or fourteen years back, that I happened
to come in upon a skirmish which took place on one